Saturday, August 23, 2008

THE CHOICE

I know one person well who is a friend of Barack. Several weeks ago, I told this person that Barack absolutely, positively should select Joe Biden as his VP. There’s no need to explain my reasoning again – I hyped this choice on this blog just this past Monday night.

But then something happened – I read all the things Joe has said during the past several years: (a) praising McCain, as one who is qualified to be President; (b) belittling Barack, as someone who was not yet qualified to be President; and c) explaining why the United States needed to invade Iraq, even if the invasion kept us there for a decade. It became clear that the McCain campaign should be able to have a field day pitting these two Democratic running mates AGAINST each other.

At this point, I must confess to being confused. Yes, that’s right – a blogger admits genuine confusion. It’s probably not something we’re supposed to do. We’re supposed to suggest that we have all the answers. We’re supposed to be loud and proud in our assessments. Right?

Well, it’s impossible for me to be cocky about the prospects of a running mate whose words can be constantly shoved up the you-know-what of my beloved Presidential candidate. And yet … I also cannot forget the reasons why I had for so long thought of Joe Biden as the perfect choice for VP.

Maybe Joe's pugnacity and credibility can reinvigorate what has been a moribund campaign as of late. Maybe he, more than any other American, can effectively reassure voters that Barack is qualified and ready to lead. Maybe he can figure out a way to spin his previous statements in a way as to minimize their force, and persuade middle-America that McCain’s reliance on those statements is mere “politics as usual.” In short, maybe Joe's stupid comments will provide a trap door for McCain, encouraging him to go even more negative than he might otherwise go, while at the same time allowing Barack to latch onto Joe's passion and ride the high road to victory.

One thing is for sure: Joe Biden possesses exactly what Barack Obama lacks. He complements Barack like no other statesman does. And if Barack were to somehow win this election, Joe Biden would appear to make an excellent Vice President. I’m going to keep that in mind for a bit while the media hammers away at the “electability” issue.

Hopefully, something can happen at the Convention next week to bring Hillary’s voters into the fold. If Barack has figured out a way to swing that, which would be no small feat but is not beyond the realm of possibility, maybe he won’t have to worry as much about campaigning in the fall as about governing in the winter. If he ever gets to that point, he’ll have one hell of an authentic, seasoned, articulate, respected, and knowledgeable voice at his side.

In short, Joe Biden's big fat mouth may yet sink Barack Obama's chances. But how can you not like the guy? And if people do like him, and they trust the thrust of what he has to say, more and more voters might just come to like Barack Obama.

Just the other day I pointed you out to someone I know who is equally as conservative as you are, and said that you at least try to be evenhanded. Congratulations on proving me right.

I will have to trust Barack's judgment on this. I think he has impeccable judgment. He still needs to sharpen some skills (as was apparent from Saddleback), but I do love his judgment. So even though I'm a bit nervous about what McCain's people can do with some of Joe B's comments, I won't second guess this choice. It was, after all, what I'd been hoping for for a while.

McCain's brains, the people who work for him in crafting the latest version of "swift-boat" are reveling in the few slips the two made in their otherwise magnificent speeches. Then there are the many times in which Biden dissed Obama during the primary contests. The fact is that Biden has an extraordinary "fire in the belly" -- a feature that you in particular, Dan, seem to appreciate -- just may be the ticket to Democratic victory, putting "youngman" where he belongs, on the outside, whining.

Well, Youngman's whining about Barack has gotten old. But give him credit for praising Biden consistently over the past few days.

Yes, Joe B brings a lot to the table. And, yes, he taketh away too with his foot-in-mouth disease. But he's definitely a net plus -- much, much more valuable than a guy like Bayh.

There seem to be two keys: (a) can we stop making this a referendum on Obama and turn people's attention to the Bush/McCain connection (i.e., to McCain's new "panderbear" act), and (b) can Barack -- not Biden, but Barack -- come up some idea that will help the swing voters actively embrace him? In the winter, he only had to appeal to progressives in order to capture the prize. But there's a new prize now, and he can't simply repeat the same speeches in order to seize it. So he has more work to do. Just thank God he has an attack dog to make that work a bit easier. If risk-averse moderates come to doubt McCain as a true change agent, and if they recognize that we truly do need to change, they might be more willing to take a flier on the "unknown" Mr. Obama.

As much as if I had to vote in the Democratic primary that Biden would have been my choice in your motly field, do you really he believe he was evn close to the short list three weeks ago?

Danny I can feel your angst 2800 miles away. This choice is proof positive that Punahou Barry has lost his mo. This was clearly a defensive choice forced upon him by the effectiveness of the McCain campaign over the last month....the Paris ads...the rockstar phenomenon....Vlad Putin....Saddleback.

Because Barry is reeling on defense cause he can't take a punch (sounds like his political game is what I've heard about his basketball game), he can't try to imperiously redefine the map with a Kaine or a Bayh...in crass political terms those may have been better choices as those might have pried a state away from my side. I don't think Joe expands the blue map.

Barry thought he had impeccable judgement....perhaps it requires impeccable judgement to realize that you don't have it. The problem with Barry and so many of his admirers is that they all think they have impeccable judgement...and that is why he is so easy to detest and dislike.

It's too bad for America that your ticket cant be reversed. Biden vs. McCain would have been fun.

About Me

I am a full-time attorney whose career has been spent investigating and litigating against corporate fraud. I also coordinate the Washington D.C. Spinoza Society and the Jewish-Islamic Dialogue Society of Washington, and am active in various interfaith and peace organizations. In addition, I am the author of three books -- two philosophical novels and one non-fiction book concerning the meaning of divinity. You can read all about me and my work at www.danielspiro.com. Check it out!